As a sister to my brothers, I have a unique opportunity if I choose to take it. For many of you, you are a special girl in your brother's life. Perhaps they're not married yet but they're at the age where they could get married or they're still young and marriage is still afar off. Either way, we can grasp this opportunity to be an important tool in our brother's lives to encourage them to treat women as the servant leaders God has called them to be. Men respond, not to a woman standing on her "soapbox" demanding better treatment, but to women who speak loving truth into their lives. Who gently guide and help men to have a vision of what a Godly leader and warrior is. It could be that you are that brother or son who never had anyone helping you have a vision for being the Godly leader you want to be. If so, I am so happy you are here. I hope this blogging series will be that for you. (Yep, I said series! I will be explaining that more below.)

I have hesitated to do this with my two brothers who still are at the age where I can "clue them in" and be an influence in their life. I have hesitated perhaps because of a number of reasons. Maybe because I never thought of myself as being a "training ground" for their future relationship with their wife or even just in the friendships they have now with young women. Maybe I thought they wouldn't listen. Or maybe I was just embarrassed to share a bit of my heart with my brothers. You know, brothers are just brothers. We don't often see them as future men who will grow up and have wives and families that they will lead. They're the "boys" I've grown up with all of my life, made mud forts with, and who I will always call "the boys". But no, these "boys" are men who are called on to be servant leaders and warriors for Christ. Protectors of women, physically, emotionally, and leaders of future homes.

My brother, Jared, playing one of his favorite sports.

It's easy to think that your brothers will just intrinsically know how to treat women. They'll know how women think and feel. They'll know what we do and do not appreciate in a man. They'll know our needs and how they can be met, and we often get frustrated when they don't get it right. But, we don't come with instruction manuals and without a woman in their life explaining things, they can't know how we operate. A woman speaking truth into their lives is a tool that can help shape a boy into a man.

I want to grasp this opportunity that I still have with two of my brothers closest in age to me. I will be writing a weekly letter to them on topics ranging from "notice when they cut their hair" to vital things about relating to women. I wanted to share those letters here so that they could perhaps be an encouragement to you whether you're that brother or that brother's sister or mom.

So, look out for my weekly posts called, "Letters To My Brothers" and follow me along on this letter writing journey to my brothers. I pray they can be of some encouragement to you, too. Even a small encouragement would be a success! Goodness knows I'll probably get some things wrong, but I will be attempting, with God's wisdom, to speak truth and encouragement into the lives of my brothers who are being molded into leaders and warriors for Christ.